Anticipation and Arrival
After the morning shoot wrapped up, it was lunchtime. Woojin had always eaten with Senior Lee Kang-sik or PD Woo Seung-hyun, but today, for the first time in a while, he got to have some cozy(?) one-on-one time with his manager hyung, Jun-an.
They grabbed a seat inside the on-set cafeteria.
"Man, I was wondering why all this good news kept coming in."
Jun-an hyung shook his head as he picked at his food, his expression a complicated mix of emotions.
"Aw, come on, it's fine."
"I know, Woojin. I know you couldn't care less. My worry's got nothing to do with you."
He knew every detail of what had gone down between his actor and Ahn Jong-hoon—not just the full backstory, but he'd witnessed the scenes firsthand on the Chosun Sunshine set. It clearly left a bad taste in his mouth.
"I dunno. I heard the kid's supposed to be your supporting role, but can he even pull it off? I'm worried he'll just get in your way."
"What can we do? It's a prequel, so we have to tie it in naturally."
"True... Would've been perfect with Yoo Tae-seok. What a shame."
"Yeah. I really wanted to act alongside Senior Yoo Tae-seok."
Jun-an hyung wasn't the only one bummed about Yoo Tae-seok's absence. Most of the staff who'd heard the news reacted the same way. Especially the makeup and costume teams, who had no choice but to interact with him the most during shoots—their reactions were pretty intense.
The makeup team lead had even let slip a colorful "Ah, fuck..."—and she was the epitome of positivity, never once frowning even when shoots dragged on longer than planned or turned into grueling marathons.
Woojin, who had his eyes closed getting his makeup done, and the rest of the team around him were all stunned.
"Shit! What was it again? That... Spielberg or whatever."
"Tomorrow is Spielberg?"
"Yeah, that one! How bad must it have been for me to forget the name of a project I worked on? I don't even want to remember it. Sigh..."
From what Woojin gathered, Ahn Jong-hoon was always nitpicking the makeup, saying it didn't suit him or it was too much hassle, refusing to let them apply certain things. He'd griped so much that the whole team dreaded doing his makeup.
But what could they do? You can't exactly refuse to do an actor's makeup. In the end, she had to handle him personally.
With nearly a decade of experience, she called those three months on Tomorrow is Spielberg her "life's dark ages." She even confessed they'd been the days she'd cried the most—impossible to fathom how rough it must've been.
"I swear, if it were me, I'd have developed a full-on phobia of that bastard. When the chance comes, I'll spill every juicy detail. It's 'story time' for real."
The makeup team lead had gritted her teeth as she said it.
"When that prick shows up later, I won't even cast a shadow near the makeup bus. Dead serious!"
Her hands tenderly touched Woojin's face, but her eyes were wide with fury.
In the end, Woojin had asked Jun-an to buy iced coffees for the entire makeup team to smooth things over.
And it wasn't just the makeup team. A few other staff who'd worked with Ahn Jong-hoon on past projects were biting their tongues, itching to vent.
Yeah. A guy who casually drops f-bombs at the director? No mystery how he treats regular staff. And it's not like ties end when a project wraps—actors keep crossing paths in this industry as long as they don't quit.
Is he living out that 'courage to be hated' philosophy or something?
The random thought crossed Woojin's mind, but it probably just came down to his own special talent for alienating people.
For a 20-episode miniseries, you're shoulder-to-shoulder with the team for about three months on average, six at most. So-called "actor syndrome." How bad must it have been for everyone to say the same thing?
Woojin was curious, honestly. Ahn Jong-hoon's reputation being this trashed was a surprise—enough to spark all sorts of amusing thoughts.
Whatever. He has to face the consequences of his own actions.
It's got nothing to do with me, so no need to dwell. As long as he doesn't act like a total dick on this set, that is.
Lost in thought for a moment, Woojin looked up as Jun-an grumbled resentfully.
"Why'd Yoo Tae-seok have to have that Chinese drama schedule of all times... I just don't trust this Ahn Jong-hoon punk to do it right."
"I think so too. The director and writer will probably tell him to support me fully, but it doesn't matter. I won't need it anyway. Don't worry too much."
"Woojin-ah... You said the same thing last time and collapsed."
"Huh?! When did I—?"
"During Burnt and Hidden Marks."
Jun-an glanced at Woojin with a teasing lilt.
"That's when it started. Every time you tell me not to worry, hyung worries more... What am I gonna do with you?"
"Ah, hyung! That's a totally different story!"
Woojin huffed cutely, and Jun-an chuckled.
"You trying to make up with Ahn Jong-hoon?"
"Make up?"
"Lee Kang-sik hyung and Jo Seung-cheol hyung used to glare at each other like they wanted to devour one another at first."
True. Then the misunderstanding cleared up. Rumor had it, after filming wrapped, the two had a private all-nighter drinking session, spilling the stories of their six years building walls in a dawn-fueled emotional haze. Must've been cathartic.
Like the seniors, would there ever come a day of sharing drinks with Ahn Jong-hoon?
No way in hell.
"Who knows. I'm fine with it, but he's the problem."
They were different cases. Seniors Lee Kang-sik and Jo Seung-cheol, no matter how rocky, had always respected each other deep down. And crucially, there was the stellar mediator named Baek Woojin.
Ahn Jong-hoon was still farting and then getting mad at others for the smell. His inferiority complex toward Woojin was off the charts, and he couldn't accept how his own flawed personality had changed reality. He still blamed Woojin for it all—no words would get through.
"As long as he doesn't negatively impact the project."
Woojin scooped up the last bite of rice from his tray and continued.
"And honestly? I think it'll be fun."
"Fun?"
"Yeah. I've never even considered reconciling with Ahn Jong-hoon, but..."
Woojin paused, and Jun-an fixed him with an intrigued stare.
"But?"
"I've always wanted to run into him on set ASAP. Watching the seniors lately made me think that a lot, but I didn't expect it'd come this soon."
"But you already met him on Chosun Sunshine, right?"
Woojin shook his head at Jun-an's words.
"That's different. He got cut midway."
"Pfft—haha!"
Jun-an burst out laughing at Woojin's firm tone.
Woojin added in a low voice.
"We need to meet on a proper stage for it to mean anything. That's why I'm looking forward to it now."
"Looking forward? To what?"
"Hm, how to put it..."
As Jun-an looked puzzled, Woojin's eyes gleamed.
"I want to clash with him through acting. No holds barred."
"Kuh!"
When an actor radiates that pure, actorly confidence—it was electric for a manager who was there for every step. Jun-an clapped without thinking, nodding vigorously.
"Sure, he wronged me, but I won't ignore or mistreat him on this set."
"Exactly. No need for us to spit in our own faces."
"Right. That'd just mean I'm paying attention to him. And I have zero interest."
Seeing Jun-an had finished eating, Woojin pushed back his chair.
"But inside the camera frame? That's another story. If I have to pay attention to him..."
A smile played on Woojin's lips as his true feelings slipped out.
"I've got plenty of will to crush him with acting."
"......"
"Let's go, hyung."
Woojin headed out with light steps. Jun-an stared blankly at his back for a moment, thinking how chilling those words would've been if he were Woojin's co-star.
"Now I'm curious all of a sudden?"
He muttered to himself, then stood up.
"Woojin-ah, wait up!"
The worries that had flickered through lunch were now pure anticipation.
Mid-October marked the midpoint for Justice filming. The set was as intense and hectic as ever.
And there—
Drag, click.
One person at the center of recent buzz finally stepped onto the set proper: Ahn Jong-hoon.
"...Hello."
Ahn Jong-hoon, arriving on Justice for the first time, got out of the car with half his face masked. He glanced around awkwardly, greeting every staffer he passed first.
"Please take care of me."
"Ah, yeah..."
PD Woo had gathered the full cast beforehand for a heads-up, but the odd stares and lukewarm responses were unavoidable. Still, since he was part of the team now, no one openly shunned him. Small mercies for Ahn Jong-hoon.
He approached the main director's station, where PD Woo, writer Kim Soo-rim and Seo Min-kyeong, and Woojin and Lee Kang-sik were discussing the scene. All eyes turned to him.
Woojin and Ahn Jong-hoon's gazes locked for an instant.
Ahn quickly bowed his head, but that split-second intensity was palpable.
Just as I thought. You have zero intention of apologizing to me, Jong-hoon.
No expectations meant no disappointment. If anything, it was a relief. Now he could go all out against him in the camera frame.
"That him? The Ahn Jong-hoon kid?"
Lee Kang-sik whispered in Woojin's ear.
"Yes, that's him."
"Heard his name everywhere lately, got curious. First time seeing him."
Makes sense. Hyung had cut off all entertainment news for the past six years.
"Thank you for this opportunity. Director, Writers."
Ahn Jong-hoon bowed politely to PD Woo, Kim Soo-rim, and Seo Min-kyeong. He continued.
"And Writer Kim Soo-rim. I was rude last time. It won't happen again. I sincerely apologize. I'm sorry."
Kim Soo-rim smiled and offered her hand.
"These things happen. You must've had it rough too. Good work holding out. Apology accepted—let's do well from here."
A warm vibe settled in.
Of course—
Zzt.
Next to Kim Soo-rim, Seo Min-kyeong's distrustful glare shot laser-like daggers at him—a secret, naturally.
"Hello, Senior. I'm Ahn Jong-hoon. Honored to work with you."
"Yeah, good to meet you. Let's do well."
"Yes, please take care of me!"
Senior Lee Kang-sik just laughed heartily and returned the greeting.
Woo Seung-hyun, Kim Soo-rim, Seo Min-kyeong, Lee Kang-sik.
Now, next up.
"Nice to meet you, Baek Woojin."
Ahn Jong-hoon said to Woojin in a low voice.
"Yeah. Welcome."
Woojin gripped his hand with short, firm words.
Squeeze.
Woojin smiled, crushing down hard.
"......"
Ahn Jong-hoon's eyebrow twitched up.
Woojin's eyes conveyed it clearly.
Welcome. I meant that, Jong-hoon.